CLEVELAND — Obi Toppin filled in ably for Julius Randle during the last five games of the regular season, and the former lottery pick did so again Wednesday night for the Knicks.
After Randle reinjured his sprained left ankle at the end of the first half, Toppin contributed all 12 of his points in the third quarter of the Knicks’ 106-95 series-clinching Game 5 win over the Cavaliers.
“Obi has played really well the last month, he’s played really well for us,” coach Tom Thibodeau said after his team closed out the first-round series. “And he’s always ready, going in and he just hit big shots, made hustle plays, runs the floor. It gets us energized. And so, we needed that.”
Toppin didn’t score in the first half, but he drilled a 3-pointer from the right corner for the Knicks’ first points of the third quarter.
Moments later, the former NBA Slam Dunk champion hauled in a long pass from Josh Hart and executed a one-handed windmill flush.
Toppin added another trey, a pull-up jumper and another two-handed dunk before the quarter was over.
“I feel like my approach is the same every time I enter the game. I feel like I know what I got to do,” Toppin said. “Be aggressive, bring a lot of energy and have fun and definitely play defense. I feel like we all did that today.”
Toppin, who also played nearly all of the fourth quarter with Randle benched in the Knicks’ Game 4 victory Sunday at the Garden, averaged 21.8 points per game in the five games Randle missed at the end of the regular season.
“Big-time, Obi made key shots and he just really played well,” Jalen Brunson said. “What he was able to do is just what he does. Next man mentality as I said before. He provided a great spark for us.”
The Knicks effectively defended Donovan Mitchell after his 38-point outburst in Game 1, limiting the four-time All-Star to 19.5 points per game over the final four contests.
Hart, who logged 47 of 48 minutes Wednesday night, had the primary defensive assignment because Quentin Grimes has been sidelined for the past two games with a contused right shoulder.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Knicks vs. Heat NBA playoff series
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- Knicks battle but fall in season-ending Game 6 loss to Heat
- Knicks couldn’t survive two minutes without Brunson
- Brunson’s heroic night spoiled by late turnover
“When you talk about a guy like Donovan Mitchell, that required so much effort,” Thibodeau said. “Because it’s not only what he’s doing with the ball, it’s what he’s doing off the ball. He’s such a tough cover.”
Tip-ins
Hero
Mitchell Robinson was the best big man in this series and it wasn’t particularly close.
This was his finest moment, a 13-point, 18-rebound, three-block, two-steal tour de force in which the 7-footer owned the paint at both ends of the floor.
He had a ridiculous 11 offensive rebounds, leading the Knicks’ 18-rebound edge.
Zero
Jarrett Allen of the Cavaliers was one of the top centers in the NBA during the regular season, but he was a shell of himself in this series.
He was absolutely dominated by Robinson on Wednesday, limited to four points and four rebounds in 35 ineffective minutes.
Unsung Hero
RJ Barrett started the series slowly, but he closed like a star.
The 22-year-old wing followed strong games at home with a fantastic all-around effort in Game 5, scoring 21 points along with four rebounds and four assists.
Key Stat
94.2: Points the Cavaliers averaged in this series, 18 points fewer than they produced during the regular season.
Quote of the day
“We just did the same thing that Atlanta did to us.”
— RJ Barrett, on the Knicks winning the opening-round series in five games two years after losing in five to the Hawks in the first round.
— Zach Braziller